


All About Us

by Vahildr



Series: Something Beatutiful {'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for} [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-30 00:03:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6399580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vahildr/pseuds/Vahildr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year to the day of Rey Niima's death, Ben Solo and Armitage Hux receive a package, addressed to them in her sloping, looped handwriting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All About Us

A year to the day of Rey Niima's death, Ben Solo and Armitage Hux recieved an unexpected package on their doorstep. A box, addressed to them, in the sloping, looped handwriting of their deceased partner.

Ben wanted to ignore it altogether, not ready to face the realization that she'd been gone a full year. When he wasn't looking, Armitage brought it inside, leaving it on the table of their three-bedroom apartment. And there it sat, forgotten, for two weeks, until the apartment's resident cat decided it would make a splendid scratching post. Armitage forced his roommate to sit on the floor, the box resting between them.

Ben elected for the other to open the package, and he sat in silence, expression unreadable as the tape was cut, the lid pulled back to reveal the contents. Pictures, post cards, letters, small trinkets, a small plastic box, filled with what Armitage could see was jewelry. Everything the pair had given her, from their friendship, and further, to when the unlikely trio had become lovers.

Ben picked up the topmost picture, eyes taking in the scene: the three of them, Rey in the center, Armitage on the left, and he himself on her right. With a sinking heart, he recognized the image: the last picture taken of them before Rey's death.

Armitage dug into the box, fingers brushing the objects within. He picked up a book, unassuming, a leather bound tome, tied with ribbon. He opened it, and a cd case fell out. The book, he recognized as the large diary that she had always seemed to be writing in, even when she thought they weren't looking.

He set it in his lap for the moment, fingers catching the cd on the floor. He flipped it over, eyes taking in the words, written in stark black, their names bold on the silver.

Armitage froze and glanced up at Ben, who held a small plush corgi in his hands, the one he had won for Rey on their first date. Without a word, they slid the disk into the DVD player, scooting closer together when Rey stared back at them. Ben's fingers clenched around the plush dog, and Armitage found himself pressing his own hand against the other's, rubbing his thumb over his lover's skin.

"Hey... It's been a while, I suppose..." Rey's voice was brittle, and the vibrancy that normally filled her gaze was gone, leaving her looking so very tired. "I hope you don't hate me for taking so long to get this to you... I didn't know how long people normally waited for this sort of thing..."

She trailed off and Armitage felt his companion press against him, and for a moment, he thought Ben was going to cry. He pulled the taller man closer, resting his head on Ben's shoulder.

She was in the all-too-familiar hospital room, where she had spent the last four months, where Ben and Armitage had brought her food much better than the tasteless broth, and even snuck Millicent in to comfort her one day.

"You two have always been my best friends, and I don't know what I'd ha-" her voice tightened as she fell into a coughing fit, reaching off-screen to return with a water bottle, taking a long drink of it. After a moment, she regained her composure and set the bottle aside, but within reach. Her eyes took on a faraway look, and she smiled softly, distant for only a moment.

"Ben, you have always been a constant in my life, from the day your uncle introduced us, and on... You've been there for me when I needed a friend, and i love you for that..."

Armitage let his fingers gently massage Ben's wrist, a small comfort as Rey blinked slightly. He had heard the story numerous times: Ben's uncle had found the girl, fourteen years old, an orphan, living in a children's home at the time, and brought her to his boxing school, where he let her do odd jobs in exchange for somewhere to spend her time, other than the orphanage, and a bit of extra cash. Eventually, she started training with Luke, and then she met Ben, and it had gone from there.

"And Tage..." she tilted her head, and Armitage felt his heart clench. Only she called him that. Sometimes Ben did, but it was always Rey that used the shortened name. "I remember the day we met. You and I had a drama class together, and we were paired up... At the end of our skit, remember what happened? That's what started our trio..."

Armitage smiled at the memory, though he could feel tears prickling behind his eyes. It had been an improv day, and he had taken a chance. They'd been acquaintances for a year at the time, and Armitage was enthralled with her, not knowing that she was spoken for, much less by _Ben Solo_. And when he pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss, and she responded, melting under his hands, he knew he was caught.

Ben had found out, laughing at Armitage before turning serious, asking what his intentions towards _his_ Rey was. It was a terrifying notion for Tage, but the outcome was better than anything he could have imagined: a life with the two most amazing people he had the opportunity of knowing.

"I wanted to tell you how much you both mean to me. Everything you've done, it means so much, a-and I..."

Rey broke then, her head falling to rest on her knees, curling up. She gave a strangled gasp as tears ran down her cheeks, trying to pull herself together, and after a few moments, the screen went black, leaving her two lovers in pained silence.

Another image came up, and Rey was mostly laying back, the bed tilting her up so she could reach the box next to her. A book was in her hands and she smiled weakly into the camera. Ben's corgi sat on her lap, and Armitage felt Ben curl into himself.

"They say I don't have much longer... Only a few days at most... I wanted to leave you a few things... Or, I guess more accurately, everything.."

Rey's voice was thin, strained, and with a sinking heart, they recognized her outfit. Ben picked up the forgotten picture, holding it up, fingers shaking. Rey had done this right before they arrived that day.

"I don't want you to pine for me. I want you to remember me fondly. Remember the nights together, our dates, how we met..."

She smiled suddenly, and for a moment she didn't look as broken, as sad as they knew she had been before her passing. This is how they'd remember her: bright, a ray of sunshine, their little starlight.

"I love you both, to the stars and back, as far as the universe stretches. Forever and always."

And with that, with those final words, she was gone. The screen turned black, and Ben buried his face into Armitage's shoulder, hands shaking as the red-haired man carded his fingers through dark hair, no words passed between them.

**Author's Note:**

> To be completely honest, this didn't turn out how I wanted it to. I was thinking of a "everything I didn't say" prompt, and then as I was writing it, I didn't know what Rey wouldn't have told her boys. So, this happened instead. 
> 
> I have no idea what she was sick with, but definitely I might continue with this story line, as I have an idea for a prequel to this...
> 
> The title is a song title, "All About Us", by He is We (feat. Owl City).
> 
> EDIT: I finally got around to watching the music video for this song and it hurt. I definitely need to write a prequel for this.


End file.
